Boosted by big Euro co-production “Asterix at the Olympic Games” ($8.6 million) and “Sex and the City” ($8.3 million), boutique Tripictures took the title of Spain’s highest-grossing indie distributor.

“Sex” comes from New Line, Tripictures’ stablest source of hits after inking an output deal in 2001 that expires at the end of the year. Given that, Tripictures’ founders, Felipe and Luis Ortiz and Pepe Hueva are returning more aggressively to the overseas market. “Asterix” marks another trend for Tripictures as it builds its business a co-producer of big-budget international pics. This allows the company to retain all rights in perpetuity in Spain and take a slice of international, avoiding a total dependence on Spain’s soft distribution market.

Tripictures is backed by Vocento, one of Spain’s leading media congloms, which since 2006 has held a 67% stake in the distrib. With a nationwide Spanish DTT license and multiple local and regional TV webs, Vocento’s TV channels rep another outlet for Tripictures’ catalog of some 400 pics.